December 29, (THEWILL) – Defending AFCON champions, Senegal, will aim to defend their title in Ivory Coast next month with a squad featuring several key players now plying their trade in Saudi Arabia, manager, Aliou Cisse, confirmed today.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Cisse stated that after triumphing last year with stars playing across top European leagues, his team must now prove they can enjoy similar success with footballers competing in the Saudi championship.
Cisse named five critical members of Senegal’s maiden 2022 AFCON winning team who have recently transferred to Saudi Arabian clubs including talismanic forward, Sadio Mané, goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy and centre-back, Kalidou Koulibaly. The Senegalese manager had previously resisted selecting Saudi-based players due to the perceived lower standard of play. However, with leading Saudi clubs investing heavily in recruitment over the past year, Cisse has revised his stance.
“We showed we were capable of winning the title when we had players in the major European championships,” Cisse told reporters. “Now we also must show we can win it with players who play in Saudi Arabia.” The 47-year-old reiterated that he and his squad remain as determined as ever to claim back-to-back AFCON crowns. Senegal will be aiming to emulate Egypt, the last nation to successfully defend the AFCON title back in 2010.
Placed in Group C, Senegal will face Cameroon, Guinea and Gambia in the group stages. The 2023 AFCON tournament, hosted by Ivory Coast, runs from January 13 to February 11. “We have just the one star,” Cisse stated, referring to Senegal’s single AFCON title win thus far. “We are keen to win again, to continue winning it.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
